This invention concerns treatment agents for fibers. More precisely, this invention concerns organopolysiloxane compositions which can impart a durable antistatic character, moisture/perspiration absorbability, stain resistance, pliability, smoothness, crease resistance and compression recovery to fiber materials.
Conventionally, various types of treatment agents comprised or organopolysiloxanes or their compositions have been prepared or proposed in an attempt to impart pliability, smoothness, crease resistance and recoverability to fiber materials.
For example, the following treatment agents are known for imparting a durable pliability, crease resistance and recoverability: dimethylpolysiloxane oils or their emulsions for imparting pliability; treatment agents comprised of a methylhydrogenpolysiloxane, and dimethylpolysiloxane possessing hydroxyl groups at both ends of the molecule and a condensation-reaction catalyst; and treatment agents comprised of a methylhydrogenpolysiloxane, a vinyl-containing diorganopolysiloxane and an addition-reaction catalyst.
The following treatment agents are further examples: treatment agents comprised of an organopolysiloxane possessing at least two epoxy groups in the molecule and an organopolysiloxane possessing amino groups for smoothing organic synthetic fibers in Japanese Patent No. Sho 48(1973)-17514; treatment agents comprised of a diorganopolysiloxane possessing hydroxyl groups at both ends of the molecule, an organosilane possessing an amino group and an alkoxy group in the molecule and/or its partial hydrolysis condensate in Japanese Patent No. Sho 53(1978)-36079; treatment agents comprised of an aminoalkyltrialkoxysilane and an epoxy-containing organopolysiloxane in Japanese Patent No. Sho 53(1978)-19715 and No. Sho 53(1978)-19716; and diorganopolysiloxanes possessing triorganosiloxy groups at both ends of a molecule which possess two or more aminoalkyl groups at both ends of a molecule in Kokai Japanese Patent No. Sho 53(1978)-19716.
However, these conventional treatment agents have some drawbacks. For example, treatment agents containing a dimethylpolysiloxane as a primary agent do not exhibit satisfactory crease resistance and recoverability and the pliability and smoothness are not durable. Treatment agents containing alkoxysilanes as essential components have the drawbacks that the alkoxysilanes tend to undergo hydrolysis and the use life of the treatment bath is short after emulsification, and the hand of the treated materials is too stiff.
Treatment agents containing methylhydrogenpolysiloxane as an essential component also have the drawbacks that the curing reaction does not proceed satisfactorily unless a catalyst is used, that when a catalyst is used the life of the treatment bath is shortened and that a large amount of dangerous hydrogen gas which may cause fire or explosion is produced. Treatment agents containing an epoxy-containing-organopolysiloxane and an amino-containing organopolysiloxane as primary constituents have the drawbacks that static electricity is generated in large quantities due to friction, that oily stains are likely to be produced and that the moisture/perspiration absorbability is impaired when underwear is treated. In order to overcome these drawbacks, hydrophilic surfactants such as linolenic sulfate, Turkey red oil, polysiloxane/polyoxyalkylene copolymers and polyoxyethylene adducts of higher alcohols have been added to the treatment agents mentioned above. However, since these surfactants are readily soluble in water or the organic solvents used in dry cleaning and easily removed by repeated washing, there is the drawback that the durability of these treatment agents is poor.